The Central Criminal Court looks set to sit in Cork later this year to hear murder and rape trials following the completion of a €26 million refurbishment of Cork Courthouse, which reopens next week.
Both Garda and legal sources have confirmed that the Washington Street Courthouse - which has been closed for over five years to allow refurbishment - is likely to host the Central Criminal Court later this year when it deals with a number of murder and rape trials from the Cork area.
A Courts Service spokesman confirmed that the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan, "intends to fully utilise the facilities at the newly refurbished courthouse in Washington Street at the earliest possible time.
"This will include him assigning Central Criminal Court business to Cork while he will also consider assigning High Court civil cases to Cork in cases where there are a large number of witnesses from the Cork area and in specific cases where applications are made to do so."
The decision to hold Central Criminal Court cases in Cork follows the success of similar moves in Limerick, Sligo and Ennis following major investment in courthouses in those areas.
The Courts Service spokesman said the decision to hold Central Criminal Court cases in Limerick, Sligo and Ennis has been "highly successful", with nine murder and rape cases being tried in Limerick and a murder trial being held in Sligo in November and in Ennis in December.
"Over the last three years or so, the waiting time for cases in the Central Criminal Court has been halved - from an average waiting time of 18 to 20 months in 2001 down to 10 months now," said the spokesman.
The main reason for the dramatic reduction in waiting times is the assignment of four permanent High Court judges to deal solely with Central Criminal Court cases though on occasion the number of judges hearing such cases has risen to five or six.
Among the advantages of the Central Criminal Court moving out of Dublin for non-Dublin murder and rape cases (the court can also hear genocide, treason and piracy cases) is that it frees up courtroom space in Dublin so Dublin trials are getting earlier hearing dates.
It also has the advantage that gardaí from cities and towns around the country don't have to travel to Dublin and spend up to two weeks waiting to be called in cases but can instead continue with their normal duties until they know they're going to be called.
The decentralisation also reduces the travel and accommodation costs of witnesses, which are paid for by the State.
It's expected that when the Central Criminal Court comes to Cork, it will sit in the former District Court on the top floor of the Washington Street Courthouse which has been fitted out with jury rooms and video links for vulnerable witnesses such as children.
According to one source, the Central Criminal Court could start hearing cases in Cork as early as June when Corkman Mr Ian Horgan is due to face a retrial on a charge of murdering Cork beautician Ms Rachel Kiely in the Regional Park in Ballincollig on October 26th, 2000.
The courthouse on Washington Street closed in June 1999 for refurbishment and since then, the Circuit Court in Cork has been operating out of a converted premises at Camden Quay, which the Courts Service has rented at a cost of €760,000 per year.
The Courts Service spokesman said the refurbished courthouse will be officially opened on February 26th.